Chapter 1723: The Awkward Situation of Three Realms Island

Lu Ye was truly unaware of this matter.

Although Wushuang Island had grown from humble beginnings to a top-tier Spirit Island, it was Chu Shen who handled all these affairs; Lu Ye was never involved, nor did Chu Shen ever mention it to him.

Moreover, from another perspective, Chu Shen himself was a Vast Sea Realm cultivator, with Jiuyan as his backing. There was no need for him to seek patronage from anyone; Jiuyan was his greatest support, which is why Wushuang Island developed quickly and smoothly back then.

If Wushuang Island had remained at the level of an upper-grade Spirit Island, none of the later events would have occurred. But Wushuang Island suddenly became a top-tier Spirit Island, giving birth to a spirit jade ore vein, and things became complicated.

The Vast Sea star system wanted to directly control Wushuang Island, but Chu Shen disagreed. Perhaps there were some exchanges between the local Sun-Shedding cultivators and Jiuyan, but the local star system was determined to control Wushuang Island. In the end, Wushuang was forcibly occupied, and Chu Shen retreated to Cheling World.

Currently, Wushuang Island is ostensibly managed by the Tianyan Business Association, but in reality, it remains the shared property of the local star system, which is undeniable. Even Cheling World, which was forced to withdraw from Wushuang Island, still receives significant benefits from it.

Only Lu Ye and Tang Jun were completely excluded.

The situation with Three Realms Island is somewhat different from Wushuang Island, but similar in that the transformation of the Spirit Island's grade triggered certain developments.

If Three Realms Island had remained merely a mid-grade Spirit Island, there would have been no need to seek patronage, because Sun-Shedding cultivators wouldn't bother with mid-grade Spirit Islands.

However, a month ago, Three Realms Island transformed into an upper-grade Spirit Island, bringing immense benefits to Three Realms cultivators, but also some hidden dangers.

The Jade Snail star system is not a major star system and lacks powerful cultivators. In the complex environment of the Vast Sea, Jade Snail cultivators are considered to have little backing.

In such a state, without someone's patronage, it would be very difficult to establish a firm foothold in the Vast Sea.

To say nothing else, such a lucrative resource would certainly be coveted by many forces. There would be constant attacks, and if Three Realms Island were perpetually embroiled in war, how could cultivators cultivate in peace?

Therefore, starting a month ago, Tang Jun began working on this matter. He had experience collaborating with Chu Shen in managing a Spirit Island and understood the intricacies much better than Lu Ye. He knew that for the now upper-grade Three Realms Island to be stable, it had to find a Sun-Shedding cultivator for protection and place itself under their wing.

Although it would mean ceding a portion of their interests, if stability could be achieved, these sacrifices would be worthwhile.

Naturally, one must follow the rules when seeking a livelihood on someone else's territory.

For countless years, the local Vast Sea star system has used this method to arrange their cultivators into upper-grade and even top-tier Spirit Islands for cultivation, thereby ensuring the rapid growth of their cultivators' strength.

So, although the Vast Sea star system officially only controls Vast Sea Island in the Vast Sea, they are content. Vast Sea Island can bring immense wealth to the local star system, and the various Spirit Islands can provide their cultivators with ample cultivation spots. The two complement each other, ensuring the local star system's long-term prosperity.

"Junior Brother, didn't you ask me earlier if any merchants had come to discuss establishing businesses?" Luan Xiao'e looked at Lu Ye. "Merchants from various forces won't easily negotiate with us until the situation on our Three Realms Island is stable. In their view, we might not be the ones who ultimately occupy Three Realms Island, so negotiating would be pointless. Only when Three Realms Island is completely stable can subsequent matters progress."

Lu Ye nodded in understanding. Putting himself in their shoes, if he were one of those merchants, he would probably have the same idea: wait and see until everything settles. This was completely different from Wushuang Island's development back then. Chu Shen put in great effort for Wushuang Island's development, personally seeking out merchants from various forces for negotiations, which naturally brought prosperity.

To outsiders, Three Realms Island's foundation wasn't strong enough to protect this upper-grade Spirit Island, and it was bound to be driven out by some force eventually.

Lu Ye asked, "So, Old Tang went to Vast Sea Island to find a Sun-Shedding cultivator to align with. Who specifically?"

Tang Jun said, "A Sun-Shedding cultivator named Yuan Du." He paused, then explained, "Initially, there were only three Sun-Shedding cultivators stationed here in the Vast Sea. But ever since someone infiltrated Vast Sea Island that year and forcibly killed one of them, the local star system dispatched three more. So now, there are five Sun-Shedding cultivators on Vast Sea Island."

Ma Bin's figure involuntarily appeared in Lu Ye's mind. Speaking of which, he hadn't heard any news of that person since their last parting. He wondered where that former Kyushu powerhouse was now.

Yuan Du was one of the three Sun-Shedding cultivators dispatched later. The reasons for choosing him as a patron were twofold: first, he was the only Sun-Shedding cultivator Tang Jun could indirectly contact, and second, the three newly arrived Sun-Shedding cultivators had fewer affiliated Spirit Islands under their command. Therefore, if Three Realms Island showed sincerity in seeking patronage, it would easily be accepted.

The other two Sun-Shedding cultivators had been stationed in the Vast Sea for too long, and many Spirit Islands were already connected to them. They had essentially 'eaten their fill' and naturally wouldn't contend with their three new companions.

"What was the outcome?" Lu Ye asked. "What did you discuss with that Sun-Shedding cultivator during your visit?"

Tang Jun gave a bitter smile. "I didn't discuss anything. I didn't even meet him. I was sent away by a young cultivator in his palace."

Lu Ye couldn't help but frown.

Luan Xiao'e sighed, "It seems Yuan Du doesn't have high hopes for us either."

If he truly had high hopes for Three Realms Island, and Tang Jun had proactively sought his patronage, he wouldn't have refused to meet and only sent a Nebula Realm cultivator to dismiss him.

Yuan Du's attitude undoubtedly revealed something: he didn't have confidence in the Three Realms cultivators and believed Three Realms Island would change hands sooner or later. So, he couldn't be bothered to meet Tang Jun or offer any protection.

If he did offer help, and Three Realms Island were later attacked, would he have to intervene? It wasn't worth the trouble.

"To forge iron, one must be strong oneself," He Baichuan said. Although he was new here, having lived for so many years, he understood the complexities of human nature very thoroughly.

It was truly regrettable that Three Realms Island couldn't even find a path to seek patronage until it demonstrated sufficient self-preservation capabilities.

Lu Ye blinked and asked again, "Old Tang, were you followed when you left Vast Sea Island?"

Tang Jun was startled for a moment, then shook his head. "I disguised myself when I left Vast Sea Island, and I didn't detect any signs of being followed."

Lu Ye couldn't help but sneer, "Then that's interesting. You were already disguised, and so many people enter and exit Vast Sea Island every day, yet the attacker still managed to pinpoint your whereabouts!"

Tang Jun's gaze lowered, a hint of anger and frustration visible within his eyes. He clearly had also realized something.

Luan Xiao'e belatedly realized, "Junior Brother means..."

Lu Ye said, "It's obvious. Someone tipped off the people who attacked Old Tang." As for who, it was already self-evident.

From this perspective, Yuan Du not meeting Tang Jun wasn't solely because he lacked confidence in the Three Realms cultivators' foundation. It was also because someone who had already sought his patronage had secretly reached some agreement with him. Yuan Du merely leaked a bit of information, and Old Tang nearly suffered a great disaster.

Old Tang's trip to seek patronage this time was entirely proactive. If he hadn't spent a fortune buying a bunch of life-saving items, and if Lu Ye hadn't rescued him in time, Tang Jun would have died.

"Are Grand Elder and Fourth Elder openly or secretly present on Three Realms Island?" Lu Ye asked again.

"They've been openly present for a while now," Luan Xiao'e sighed. "During your absence, our Three Realms Island also experienced a few battles."

A mid-grade Spirit Island was already enough to attract the interest of many forces in the Vast Sea. So, during Lu Ye's absence, three waves of forces, varying in strength, had targeted Three Realms Island. Although Luan Xiao'e was at the peak of the Lunar Realm, Tang Jun's strength was unfortunately insufficient. Therefore, they had to seek assistance from the Merfolk. Grand Elder Yan Miao and Fourth Elder Cheng Xin are now openly visible. With their help, Three Realms Island has remained safe.

"Have they been registered?" Lu Ye asked.

Lu Ye truly knew nothing about seeking patronage, but he did know some things, such as this registration process.

The Vast Sea has a large number of Lunar Realm cultivators. No force that can establish itself in the Vast Sea could possibly have only five Lunar Realm cultivators. Take Jade Snail as an example: if Wu Zhuo and Qiu Wu were to arrive one day, they couldn't be prevented from entering Three Realms Island just because a force is only allowed to have five Lunar Realm cultivators.

In fact, they can enter Three Realms Island and stay there.

However, if there's a battle for control of a Spirit Island, they cannot intervene and can only watch.

This involves the issue of registration. Only registered Lunar Realm cultivators can participate in battles for Spirit Island control.

Therefore, the rule that a force can only have five Lunar Realm cultivators actually refers to the number of registered individuals. This matter is managed by the Vast Sea star system, with a dedicated agency on Vast Sea Island responsible for it.

Since Yan Miao and Cheng Xin could participate in battles for Spirit Island control, it means they have already been registered and are now Lunar Realm cultivators affiliated with Three Realms Island.

Generally, only Lunar Realm cultivators need to register; Nebula Realm cultivators do not. However, Lu Ye had indeed gone through this process because his ostensible identity was the Third Island Master of Three Realms Island, which was different from a general Nebula Realm cultivator. He registered with Luan Xiao'e and Tang Jun back then.

That's how he knew about this.

"Since Grand Elder and Fourth Elder are openly present, the enemy knows that our Three Realms Island has four Lunar Realm cultivators. Their plan is very clear: this time, two of them went to ambush Old Tang, and Old Tang would certainly send a message back. Under normal circumstances, Senior Sister Luan would definitely go to rescue him. They also had three people intercepting outside. No matter which side succeeded, it would be a huge loss for Three Realms Island. Once a Lunar Realm cultivator is killed, they can then launch a full assault on Three Realms Island!" Lu Ye said, his thoughts clear.

Upon hearing this, Luan Xiao'e immediately felt a chill of fear.

Because if things were truly as Lu Ye speculated, then this incident was not only a risk for Old Tang, but for her as well.